WhatsApp rolling out end-to-end encrypted backups for iOS and Android

WhatsApp has announced that it brings end-to-end encryption to backups stored in the cloud, regardless of whether you use an iPhone or an Android device.

In particular, all your WhatsApp backups will be protected by end-to-end encryption when uploaded to iCloud or Google Drive, so no one but you will be able to access their contents. Backups can be encrypted end-to-end by using a password of your choice or a 64-bit key. However, if you forget your password or encryption key, you won’t be able to restore your backup.

“We’re adding another layer of privacy and security to WhatsApp: an end-to-end encryption option for the backups people choose to store in Google Drive or iCloud. WhatsApp is the first global messaging service at this scale to offer end-to-end encrypted messaging and backups, and getting there was a really hard technical challenge that required an entirely new framework for key storage and cloud storage across operating systems,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.

Since we don't have it on our devices yet, it looks that this functionality is being rolled out in stages. To see if you have the functionality yet, go to Settings > Chats > Chat backup > End-to-end Encrypted Backup.

It appears that end-to-end encryption for backups is rolling out in stages. You can head over to Settings > Chats > Chat backup > End-to-end Encrypted Backup to check whether you have the feature yet.